STATE RACES Taft-Hagan debate focuses on education

Hagan said the governor has failed higher education in his four years. Taft said he plans to increase education funding if re-elected.
By JEFF ORTEGA
VINDICATOR CORRESPONDENT
COLUMBUS -- The gloves came off in the gubernatorial race.
In their second public debate Wednesday night, Republican Gov. Bob Taft and Democrat Tim Hagan traded jabs, with Taft accusing Hagan of proposing to cut higher education funding and Hagan insinuating that big business has prospered at the expense of common folks on the governor's watch.
At a hotel at Ohio State University, Taft, who's seeking re-election to a second term Nov. 5, said Hagan would cut higher education funding.
In contrast, Taft said he would increase funding for higher education in the two-year budget proposal he submits to the Legislature, if he's re-elected.
"I have a responsible plan," Taft said before 300 people invited to watch the debate, sponsored by OSU, University of Akron, University of Cincinnati, Cleveland State University and Ohio University. The first debate was in Dayton.
The exchange grew testy as Hagan pressed the governor to read his campaign plan.
"I have read it," Taft said. "Have you read it?"
Hagan, in comments after the debate, denied any plan to cut higher education funds.
"It's not in my plan at all," the Youngstown native said. "I think it's an indication of the desperation on the part of Taft."
Hagan has said that if he's elected, his first executive order would be to require cabinet members to submit state budget proposals that do not exceed 85 percent of the current fiscal year's appropriations.
Special interests
After the debate, Hagan said that higher education was exempted from that requirement.
Hagan, a former Cuyahoga County commissioner, accused the governor of helping the special interests who he said has funded Taft's approximate $9 million campaign war chest.
"The banks, they believe in your principles and policies," Hagan said. "The utilities, they believe in your principles and policies; the drug companies, they believe in your principles and policies; the insurance companies, they believe in your principles and policies.
"You've responded to the special interests of this state at the expense of working men and women and the people on fixed income," Hagan said.
Taft played up his Third Frontier plan, a proposal to attract high-tech businesses to the state.
The plan, unveiled earlier this year, features items such as a $500 million capital improvements program to improve research facilities and a multimillion-dollar bond issue next year to provide resources to recruit world-class researchers to Ohio.
Taft said he would push for increases to higher education funding in the next two-year budget proposal the state Legislature is to enact before July 1.
Hagan questioned where the higher education investment has been in the four years Taft has been governor.
"What we have is a lot of talk and gibberish," Hagan said. "You've had four years as the governor of this state."
"There's been no action," Hagan, 56, said as Taft shook his head.
Taft, 60, said he has tried to represent all parts of the state as governor, bringing up General Motor's decision to make the company's next generation of small car at the sprawling Lordstown Assembly Plant.
The state had offered incentives and assistance to the endeavor.
Post-debate comments
Afterward, both candidates said they made their points.
"I think I did well in the debate," Hagan said. "The next two weeks are critical."
"I felt I had a good opportunity to talk about our accomplishments in schools and economic development and the Third Frontier Project," Taft said.
Independent John Eastman, who also is on the November ballot, was excluded from the debate and had been excluded from the Dayton debate.
He is to be included in the final public gubernatorial debate Nov. 1 in Cleveland.